House of Haunted Dreams
by Lied89
Summary: Bianca is christening her new home with a Halloween party at which Bianca, Maggie, Jamie, Lena, Babe and JR will be visited by their worst fears. Takes place March04 on the AMC timeline. This was written for the October-Halloween challenge of the BAMBoard
1. Intro

*INTRO*

**House of Haunted Dreams**

Bianca looked around the open space. She still couldn't fully fathom that this was her house.

She reached for her belly, caressing it gently. This would be their new home. Only the two of them. Bianca loved that thought. She could focus on her baby and herself. She would miss Maggie terribly, of course, but for the long run this was for the best. No confusions. Just her and the baby. Everything else coming later.

A low bump came from the entrance door.

Bianca furrowed her brows and stepped over. She looked through the peephole and started to smile. But when she opened the door, the smile transcendent into a look of disbelieve and adorableness.

"Lena..."

Lena stood overloaded with a pile of blankets and bags in front of her door.

"Let me..." Bianca reached out.

"No, I got it. Just let me in," Lena insisted urgently, having trouble to keep the things in balance.

"Oh, okay." Bianca stepped aside and watched Lena staggering in. "Just put it on the couch," she spoke seeing the lost look on the tall woman's face.

Lena moved forward and let the things fall onto the couch, in the same movement turning and letting herself fall down with an 'Ouph', too.

Bianca laughed, "How did you even get all that stuff up in your arms?"

"I don't know," Lena shrugged. "There's more in the car, too. You Americans are crazy. There are so many things you can buy."

"That doesn't mean you have to buy it all," Bianca chuckled and walked over, taking a seat on the arm of the couch next to Lena. She pushed short brown strands behind the woman's ear. "But thank you for buying all this stuff and helping me set this up." She leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Lena smiled and reached for Bianca's hand, clasping it in her own. "I think this will be a fun way to christen the house." The polish woman looked around. Her eyes found the open kitchen, some cups and plates resting on the bar that separated it from the rest of the empty living room. Apart from that white walls were staring back at her.

"It looks like we have a lot to do."

"Yeah, I'm so glad that Uncle Jack and Reggie at least got this old couch in here."

* * *

Jamie was giddy.

"Mags?" He hurried to her room, pulling his shirt from his body on the way while carrying another in his hand.

He opened her door and came to a stop when spotting his new roommate.

Maggie was fiddling with her hiking boots. Her foot placed on a chair she was bend over, tugging at the laces.

"Holy," he breathed. His eyes drifted from her boot clad feet up over bare tanned muscular calves and thighs, tight black shorts hugging her backside deliciously – his gaze got stuck.

"Jamie?" Maggie asked, a smirk playing over her face by the way he openly stared. She straightened herself, her foot slipping from the chair to the floor. "Want something?"

He pulled his eyes to her face and grinned, nodding approving. "That really was a good choice."

Maggie smoothed her hands over her tight khaki t-shirt. "Yeah, well, I still don't want to go." She looked up at him, studying his dirty beige cargo pants and bare chest, "What's that when it's finished? You're going as hobo now?"

"No, look at this," he smiled like a little excited boy and pulled the white t-shirt he was holding over his head.

Maggie cocked her head to the side, taking the shirt in. "Is that a skidmark?"

"Yes, I ran over it!" When Maggie just looked blank at him, he exclaimed, "I'm a car accident victim! And now guess how I got that idea." He grinned teasingly.

"Oh, no! That's embarrassing." Maggie covered her eyes with her hand rather wanting to forget about that day and whined, "Please go as Super Mario instead."

"No, this is genius. Will you help me with the blood and cuts?"

"No," She said roughly while pulling her hair up into a pony-tail.

"Pleeaaasee," he tilted his head and stuck out his lower lip, blinking his eyes pleadingly.

Maggie rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing she would end up doing it anyway. Just like she had to go to this damn party in that damn new house miles away from her apartment. And Lena would be there, too.

She stepped to him, grabbed him at his arm and dragged him out of her room.

"Fine, but I don't think Babe will find this sexy."

* * *

Bianca took a last look in the mirror, pushing the ivy crown on her head into position. She gave herself a nod and smoothed her hands over white fabric before tugging on a light blue sash.

The door bell ringing made her push back from the basin and she excitedly made her way to the door. Her friends hadn't seen the house before, so she was curious what they would have to say.

She opened the door to find four costumed people standing on her door step, the dusk of the night surrounding them.

"Greek goddess!" Babe shouted out, making the rest jerk.

"God, it's okay," Maggie muttered, rubbing her ear.

"I thought we were going to say Trick or Treat," Jamie wondered, looking at Maggie.

"We're guessing the costumes of everyone we see," Jr explained, laying an arm around his wife.

"And I'm winning," Babe said glowing, "I'm right, ain't I?"

"Um, yes." Bianca said, "I'm going for Hera. I wanted to do something really horrible and creepy, but...that's hard to pull off with this one tagging along." She lay her hand on her ever bigger getting belly.

The group nodded.

"Now guess what we are," Babe said enthusiastically, striking a pose.

"Oh, alright," Bianca smiled looking at Babe and Jr. "Well, but this is not hard."

He wore black, except for his red cloak. Two red horns stood up from his head and he hold a trident in his left hand, while Babe wore white like Bianca, two wings sticking out from her shoulders, her head spotting a halo.

"The devil and an angel," Bianca spoke.

"Noo..." Babe said, holding up a finger. "The devil and..." She reached behind JR, picking up a red tail that belonged to his costume and spun it suggestively around, her other hand coming to rest on her equally big belly. "...a _naughty_ angel."

Bianca burst out laughing, while Maggie murmured to herself, "Well, that's about right."

"Can we come in now? It's getting cold." Maggie said, hopping from one foot to the other.

Bianca's eyes drifted to Maggie, taking her in for the first time. She wetted her lips as her eyes scanned quickly over her barely covered body, "Well, no wonder by what you're wearing," she said, suddenly a little breathless. "Is that Lara Croft?"

Maggie nodded coyly, "I'd take my guns out and put on a show but really it's cold."

Judging by her at-her-chest-strained shirt, it was.

"Oh, sure." Bianca said as she noticed Maggie looking expectantly at her after she hadn't moved from inside the door. She stepped out of the way, letting the dark blonde pass. Jr and Babe followed before Jamie. As he passed her, Bianca furrowed her brow. "You look like you got run over by a car."

"See, people get it," Jamie said pleased.

Maggie stuck her tongue out at him, making him do so in return.

"Oh, wow, this is cool," Babe admired, looking around the room.

The only light came from candle's being placed in pumpkins in the four corners of the room, casting weird shadows across the walls. Some others stood in colored glasses in the adjoined kitchen, while blankets and pillows lay around the lit fireplace, a couch standing behind the seating area. Cobwebs adorned every possible corner, two skulls resided on the corners of the mantel and different garlands with ghosts, bats and spiders as ornaments ran from wall to wall.

"Did you do this alone?" Babe asked, while the others still looked around.

"Oh no, Lena helped me," Bianca answered smiling, making a knot build in Maggie's stomach.

"Where is Lena?" Jamie asked curiously.

"She's upstairs, changing into her costume," Bianca said, moving to the kitchen and waving them along to fully welcome them in. "Here, we prepared some drinks for the start."

She gestured to some champagne glasses that held a red liquid, darker at the bottom than at the top.

"That looks a little like when you allow blood to stand and the plasma starts precipitating from the blood cells," Maggie said with a tilted head, studying the glass which Bianca gave her.

"Thank you, Maggie," Babe said, scrunching up her face in disgust.

The two men chuckled and picked up their glasses, while Bianca gave Babe a glass with a different lighter red shade of liquid, "It's cranberry juice for us."

"And rancid blood for us," JR said, raising an eyebrow as he sniffed at the drink.

"She's not gonna poison you," Jamie laughed, shaking him teasingly at his shoulder.

JR just glared underwhelmed at him.

"You never know," Babe joked, winking at Bianca and then raised her drink, "Cheers."

The rest of the group followed her lead, raising their glasses before sipping from them.

"Hmm, not bad," Jamie licked his lips.

They heard steps above them and collectively turned to the stairs. Maggie opted to look into her drink instead, not eager for Lena to arrive.

The steps descended the stairs. At once everyone became quiet, making Maggie curious, so that she turned to the stairs, too.

"I'm sorry, I hope you did not wait."

Maggie, who was about to take a big gulp from her drink in prospect of hearing that polish thick accent, suddenly snorted and spluttered her drink.

Everyone turned to her.

She faked coughing, not an easy task since she barely could contain her laughter by the sight she got to see.

"I'm sorry, sorry," she choked out, turning away.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked, following her and rubbing his hand over her back.

"Yes," she suppressed the chuckles that wanted to overcome her body, taking deep wheezes of breath in. "I'm..good...fine."

She steeled herself, waiting a second longer to get a certain amount of calmness before then turning around again.

Everyone still concentrated on her, while she tried to look everywhere but Lena. She couldn't help herself though and glanced at the polish woman again.

She tensed her facial muscles which wanted to tear apart and stretch into a big grin. Air piled up in her lungs, wanting to burst out, but she pushed it down.

She took the white blue uniform in. The blue short skirt. The glittering blue silver pompom in each hand.

There was no use in stopping it. She burst out laughing, tears quickly springing to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but,..." Laughter tormented her body and she reached for Jamie to hold herself up. "Cheerleader. Really?"

"What is wrong with it?" Lena asked, looking confused down on herself.

"What's..." Maggie tried to repeat through her chuckles, but gave up, instead pulling a deep breath in. "You, this..." She waved her hands through the air. "Please tell me you won't dance the hustle next!" She laughed once anew and staggered on her feet, panting out of breath, "Please, I have to sit down."

Since there was no chair, Jamie pulled her tighter to him, letting her lean on him to recover, a small smile gracing his lips, too.

As he hold Maggie to him a funky feeling overcame him, feeling eyes resting on him. But when he looked they already had turned away.

"Is cheerleader not a good costume for Halloween?" the polish woman wondered, reasoning, "They always die first in the movies. I thought it was fun."

Bianca stepped to her, smiling, "I think it's cute."

Maggie sobered abruptly, her eyes zooming in on the brunette's fingers slowly encircling the older woman's elbow, their bodies bumping together gently. And what Babe said next didn't make it better.

"Hey, your colors match perfectly," the blonde commented, looking at the white and blue dressed pair. "Did you coordinate your costumes?"

"No, I guess we just fit," Lena smiled and lay an arm around Bianca's shoulder, making the younger woman look lovingly up at her.

Eventually they moved on from Maggie's outbreak, exploring the new house in a game of hide and seek instead of a guided tour, what was not exactly fun to play in a house with nothing in it to hide behind, under or inside. But somehow exactly that made it fun again.

They drank and ate and shared stories and at the end of the night they fell asleep next to each other, buzzed from the drinks and playful temper of the night, not knowing what would expect them in their sleep.


	2. Jamie

*JAMIE*

**Run!**

Jamie rolled first his and then Maggie's sleeping back out beside each other. Then he walked to his backpack, pulling his from fake blood smeared and tires grimed shirt from his body. He let it fall before pulling another one from his bag and throwing it over his head. Next he opened his cargo pants and let them down, revealing his blue checkered boxer shorts, little Bart Simpsons, showing off their butts, printed on it.

"Oh, sexay," Maggie cackled, coming back from the bathroom.

Jamie grinned, pulling her to his side. "You know you love them."

"Sure, I do," she nodded, pinching his side. "It's time for bed now, boy."

He felt Maggie leave his side, knew she was slipping into her sleeping back like the others did. But his eyes remained on Bianca who had turned away by now, busying herself with shaking her pillow into its right form.

He noticed the looks. If he didn't know Bianca, he would describe them as hateful. But Bianca would never hate him...or anyone else for that matter. Why would she? It were just these things he noticed more and more often, her eyes always narrowing when she looked at Maggie and him.

He shook his head in wonder and slipped into his own sleeping bag, putting his arms behind his head, ready to sleep.

He just had to talk to Maggie about it sometime. Maybe he wasn't the right one to be with for her. Even if it was just casual. She did cry her soul out on his shoulder when she found out about Bianca moving out. Evidently, he thought, there was something.

His eyes fell closed.

"_Jaamiiee,..." a sweet voice called alluring from somewhere._

_He turned in the darkness, his eyes searching for something, anything to make out where he was._

"_Oh Jaamiiee,..." the sweet voice whispered again, an exhilarated tilt clinging to her words._

_A champagne glass popped up in front of him, the interesting red liquid swimming inside._

_He was tempted, but he had had way too much of that sugary stuff which went right to his head already._

"_I know you want it, Jamie."_

_He knew that airy voice with its light squeak. Surely he could trust her. _

"_Just one more."_

_He reached out, pulling the glass from its hovering place in the air in front of him._

"_Good boy," the voice patted his mind._

_Content, he slurped the sweet alcoholic drink, feeling good with himself. His head felt lighter and anyway the world was good._

"_Jamie?"_

"_Yeah?" he answered, leisurely pulling a cheery which had appeared out of thin air__ into his mouth__. Cherries, that was exactly what had been missing from the drink the whole time!_

"_Tell me, Jamie," the voice spoke, the sweetness of it slowly fading away. "How does it feel to drink from somebody else's glass?"_

_Jamie halted, his eyebrow raising at the edge of the voice. He lowered the glass from his lips, wondering what she was talking about as he studied it._

_A flood of light suddenly pointed at him from afar._

_He shielded his eyes to make out the source, his heart starting to beat uncertainly._

"_I don't like the way you touch her."_

_A roar echoed through the nothingness._

_Was that a motor?_

"_What, what are you talking about?" He asked, taking steps back._

"_Jamie, don't act dumb," she tsked. "I'd suggest for you to stay away."_

"_Stay away?" He moved backward but toppled over, his feet not cooperating. That damn alcohol. "From what?"_

_A screeching yelled from afar and suddenly he realized he was on a street. The lights came nearer, the roaring got louder, the smell of burnt rubber reached his nose._

_He scrambled to his feet, staggering on his legs to flee from the oncoming car._

_He ran, a maniac laugh closing in on him._

_In the last moment he jumped to the side, landing in the scrub of some bushes._

_As the car zipped past him he recognized the angelic white face stretched into a wicked grin._

_Bianca._

_Possessed was the only word he could come up with to describe her face._

"_There's nothing going on!" he yelled after the smaller and smaller getting red tail lights._

_As the lights disappeared into the darkness, he took a deep breath, his heart rate little by little slowing down again._

Jamie turned in his sleep, snuggling closer to the body beside him in search for safety and comfort.

_Women were all crazy. Bianca hunting him instead of who she was really after. Maggie telling him what had to be told to Bianca. Babe clinging to JR when really it was them who had this instant connection that felt just right and he couldn't shake. How could she not see it?_

He felt a gentle caress run through his hair and sighed relieved, drifting deeper into sleep again. This time dreaming about the blonde who really owned his heart, believing the touch to be hers.


	3. Maggie

*MAGGIE*

**Self-Revelation**

Maggie sighed quietly and snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag, starring up at the in the darkness hidden ceiling. Only quiet puffs of air, streaming out of the sleeping bodies around her, stirred the silence consistently.

Like expected the party had been horrible. At least for her. Nerve-wracking, really. And the worst part? It wasn't over! Why did there have to be a sleep over?

At least Lena wasn't sleeping next to Bianca. It had been enough that Bianca had sat on the floor leaned against the couch while Lena sat on the couch behind her stroking her hair, shoulders and neck way too often. In her condition, Bianca should have been the one sitting on the couch anyway. But it didn't seem like she cared. Maggie did though.

Well, now Bianca lay on the folded out couch. With Babe. The two pregnant girls naturally getting first dibs on the only sleeping furniture in the empty house while the rest of them lay around them on the floor.

She felt Jamie turn next to her. He shifted closer, huddling against her side. His nose bumped against her jaw, his breath warming her skin. Maggie smiled and patted his head, her fingers running through blond fluffy hair. She was sworn to secrecy that he was the biggest cuddler in the world.

She loved him really. Just not that way. Or why was that damn skin crawling longing running through her, craving to be the one lying next to the sweet brunette on the couch? She used to be.

Soon she never would have the opportunity again. Bianca had her own house. Bianca would spend more and more time away from her. She would be more and more with Lena. Alone. The life she knew slipped through her fingers. Her world was changing and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

With a tear in her eye, she finally drifted into sleep.

_The air was sticky and it was hard to breath with the high humidity hanging in the air. She had to get out of the rising sun. The jungle surrounding her wouldn't do. And anyway she had to get into that temple. The artifact had to be inside._

_She quickly skipped over the worn pale-golden sandstone slabs, plants overgrowing them here and there. _

_The majestic temple which towered over her came nearer and soon she reached the ruinous stairs which led inside. _

_She climbed them up, sweat trickling down her face. _

_A piercing shriek of an exotic bird cut through the air, making her jerk in surprise. _

_She turned around, shielding her eyes with her palm from the sun while she scanned the clearing behind her._

_She had to hurry. She was not the only one wanting the golden trophy. _

_Casting a last glance over her shoulder, she tugged at the collar of her shirt, pulling it up to wipe her sweaty face on the khaki fabric before entering the temple._

_Slowly and carefully she tiptoed through the inside of the temple. It was cool and the further she got inside the cooler and shadier it was. That was okay, though, coming from the heat outside. It was pleasant really. _

_Only the unknown bothered her, but it was worth it. She just had to mind her steps. The terrain she trod was dangerous. There were many traps in this old structure which many others before her had succumbed to. But she wouldn't fall for them. She would persist and in the end prevail. She learned more and more it was about patience. She just had to find the right moment to push forward into the heart of the temple._

_As she climbed through a whole into a small passage__ whispers reached her ears.  
_

"Go."

"_**Go."**_

"**Go."**

_Her body suddenly craved for affection._

"_**She's coming."**_

"Go."

"_**She'll take it away."**_

_Rustling of strips of paper came to her ear. It got louder and a cheer echoed through the walls._

_Her breath hitched in fear. She dashed through the passage, landing in the trophy room of her high school. She looked around, Frankie's face was staring at her from the team picture of the softball squad. The figure on the picture began to smile as if having waited on her and pointed behind her._

_She turned, following her twin's finger. There in the middle of the room it was. On a pedestal stood the big golden cup she had longed for. It was beautiful. Precious. A little figurine sat on the top, dancing, twirling around her own axis._

_She smiled watching her spin like in trance. She wanted to go and hold the trophy in her arms. Call it her own. But she could just stare. Mesmerized. She didn't want to touch and break it._

_The hair on her neck began to tickle and it stood up, a shudder running down her spine. The room darkened and there was that rustling again. _

_Shake. Shake. Rustle. Rustle._

_Double doors got pushed open, the neon light shining in from the hallway suddenly being the only one brightening the room. It was blinding really._

_A black silhouette appeared in the door frame, the light shining into her eyes making it hard to identify the person. _

_Tall. A skirt. Short hair. A pompom in each hand._

_It was the cheerleader. She came to take the trophy. _

_She looked at the golden cup standing on the pedestal between them and suddenly realized that it was a cheerleading trophy. But she was no cheerleader. Even if she wanted to, she was not qualified to get it._

_The cheerleader stepped nearer, and with shock she recognized her as being Lena. _

_Purposefully Lena strode to the twinkling prize in the middle of the room and the only thing she could do was watch like looking in through a window on something she could never have._

_Lena reached out for the trophy. _

_Her eyes widened as the cheerleader's fingertips brushed the golden cup and it began to transform into a woman. The cup's body stretched, arms and legs springing from its sides. The top shifted into a sweet heart shaped face, long dark brown hair sprouting on its crown. At last the golden color paled into a creamy white tone._

_Bianca._

_Her heart hammered painful in her chest as she watched Lena pick Bianca up from the pedestal._

_Suddenly the ground began to shake, stones broke from the ceiling, raining down on them. It had to be one of the traps. The temple was falling apart. She watched the cheerleader carry Bianca away, running from the danger and running from her._

_She couldn't let her get away. She sprinted after them, weaving her way through ruinous halls and passageways, dirt and stones falling down on her. But she was too slow. She only could watch the cheerleader fly away in a helicopter, her prize safe._

_Or so she thought until lightening stroke, crashing into the helicopter's rotor, sending it down, two figures jumping outside._

_She was outside of the temple again. The high humidity was killing her. She barely was able to breath in the heat though the wild jungle enclosed her, shielding her from the evening sun. But she had to go on. She could not let her down. She had to save her. Alone she would be engulfed by the darkness.  
_

_Lena had tried to flee, but her helicopter had crashed. Once again they both were on the search while Bianca was lost in the jungle._

_But _she_ had to get to her first. _She_ had to get her this time. If she would let the cheerleader get to her she would die in her hands. Lena couldn't take care of Bianca like she could. Lena wasn't good enough either. She would ruin her. She would hurt her. She had in the past. Bianca was her everything. No one could take her away from her. Especially not Lena._

_Her ears perked up as she heard a crack in the woods. Was it her competition?_

_A deadly silence settled around her, her senses on high alert as suddenly everything became clear._

_She reached for the holsters strapped to her hips and thighs, her fingers brushing over the cold handles of her double guns._

_Kill the Cheerleader, Save your World._

A mischievous smile curled up her sleeping form's lips.


	4. Bianca

*BIANCA*

**Torn**

Bianca closed her eyes, going over the day in her mind once more.

It had been great. Lena had been so sweet and attentive in helping her and everyone had showed up being excited and in a good mood. Well, at least most of them were. She did notice the gloomy mood passing through JR and something was off with Maggie, too.

She sighed and rolled on her back. She wondered what was bothering Maggie. Maybe it still was the matter of the house. They had perfectly avoided talking about it again. But then again there really was no time to go over it. Maggie had pushed moving to the apartment next door and was busy with that and her studies while she had been looking for furniture with Lena which would arrive in the next few days.

And then there was Jamie. Maggie acted somehow weird when she was with him. Always so...over-cheery and goofy. It made Bianca feel apprehensive. This was not Maggie. She was fun and could be goofy, yes, but not in that weird way. Then again maybe that was just how they were together. It could be...love.

Was she being jealous? Maggie had kissed her not long ago and she still had no clue what it meant. A mistake. Sure. Accidentally! Yeah. Weird that she never got accidentally kissed before. She would have been happy if anyone had. She did already suspect to have a barren spell on her.

Anyway, Maggie could tell her what she wanted. She had seen that look in her eyes, that look, expecting her to do something, hoping to get a response. Just what response had she searched for when in the next second she slept with a guy?

Bianca punched her pillow. She was over that. No more worries about Maggie. She had Lena anyway and things were looking up. Lena cared for her, Lena loved her, Lena wanted her. They just had to take a little time to get things going again.

Once she settled into her life with Miranda, she was sure she would be ready to take steps forward. Through Miranda she would find out more about herself, find the person she really was. And once she was done with that she would be ready for the person who she really wanted and needed with her, who would spend her life with them.

At least that's how she imagined it.

_She swayed slowly back and forth, sitting in the swing on the porch of her house. _

_Lena had been right. This was a fantastic place to relax, watching people walk the street, water their front garden or coming home. She just missed the many kids her gir-, Lena had mentioned._

_She yawned._

_God, she felt tired today. It was weird really, because it was still early and she did just take a nap._

_She stretched herself, her bones cracking in more places than she could count with one hand. She reached for her now hurting back, rubbing it. They never cracked..._

_Her eyes found a loose thread clinging to the blanket which was slung around her legs and waist. When she reached her hand out to pull it off of the yellow fabric, she halted suddenly. _

_Her eyes widened taking in her hand._

_Her skin it was so...so droopy and and...thin and...wrinkly._

_She suppressed a shriek._

_Sure, she wanted to grow old, but...not that fast!_

_She jumped up from the swing – correct that, wanted to jump up from the swing, instead she struggled clumsily to her feet, needing way too much effort for her taste._

_With a slightly hunched back she crept back into the house, supporting herself anywhere she could – the frame of the swing, the walls of the house, the door knob._

_She entered her house in search for a mirror. This just couldn't be. _

_Instead she found two persons lounging in her living room. One lay on her stomach on the shorter couch, her legs crossed on her ankles. She leaned on her elbows, her nose stuck in a thick book laying under her. The other woman sat with crossed legs on the other couch, opposite from the first couch. She sat with a straight back, skimming through some magazine. They did not pay attention to her, looking as if this situation was natural to them._

_As she stepped nearer she recognized them as being..._

"_Maggie? Lena?" She furrowed her brows. "What are you doing here? What is going on?"_

_Better question, why were they still their young sexy selves?_

_Maggie glanced up from her book. _

"_Oh, hi Bianca," she said disinterested before turning back to the page which she had been intently studying before._

"_Oh, hi?" She repeated puzzled looking at Maggie, feeling like being fooled. _

_When she got no reaction she turned to Lena, nudging her shoulder, "Hello?"_

"_Oh, Bianca, do you want to sit with us today, yes?" Lena asked, looking up at her briefly, motioning to an armchair that stood to the side, between the two couches._

"_I, I would like to know what is going on," She demanded, not moving an inch._

"_What do you mean?" Lena asked unworried, turning a page in her magazine, her eyes scanning over the pictures._

"_I mean I am old! And you're sitting there like you don't see it and like, like you don't care."_

_Lena looked up at her, raising an hurt eyebrow, "You know I care about you."_

"_Yes, of course, but..."_

"_What is wrong with you today?" Lena wondered, her magazine fell closed, while her eyes surveyed her. "Don't you want to sit with us?"_

"_What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you!" she exclaimed._

_She turned away, wanting to run over to Maggie and shake her, question her about what was going on. But she forgot she could not run anymore. She miscalculated her step and rolled her ankle, falling over._

_In a flash Maggie, who had seemed so indifferent before, jumped up from the couch and caught her before she could crash to the ground._

"_What did you do?" Maggie shouted enraged at Lena, while holding her up._

_Lena pushed herself off of the couch. "I didn't do anything! She just fell."_

"_Sure," Maggie said doubtfully. "Would you help me now or what?"_

_The two women carried her to the armchair that Lena had pointed out before, letting her gently down into it before kneeling down to her height._

"_What is going on?" she questioned again, watching the two fuss over her._

"_What do you mean?" Maggie asked, her face turning worried. She grasped her wrist, her fingers searching along her pulse point, "Are you not feeling well?"_

_She pulled her arm away from Maggie._

"_No, I'm fine. Just tell me what is going on. Maggie, I'm old and what are you two doing here in my living room?"_

"_We're always here," Maggie said bewildered, tilting her head. _

_The door got pushed open and a mid-thirty-ish women stepped inside, carrying a bag. The smell of nice warm spicy food filled the room._

_The newly arrived brunette rushed inside._

_She felt a kiss being pressed to the back of her head, accompanied by a cheery, "Hi!"_

_Puzzled she looked after the brunette, watching her place the bag on the counter of the kitchen._

"_I would stay, but you know how it is with the kids in the car," the unknown woman bubbled already on her way back. "So I brought you the food and I'll call you tonight."_

_The brunette gave her a wink, clasping the knob of the open standing door. "Hi, Maggie, Lena," she quickly greeted with a smile, glancing to the other women before pulling the door closed._

"_Who was that?"_

_Maggie and Lena shared a worried glance before saying in union, "Miranda?"_

"_What?" she asked, looking back to the door, stretching her neck, willing it to open again._

"_I think she doesn't remember," Maggie whispered to Lena, the polish women giving her a mildly offended look that said, 'That much I got, too." _

"_What don't I remember?" she asked, giving them a glare when they did not answer immediately._

_Lena sighed and pulled her hand into her own. "We've been here for years, Bianca."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_We've been here..." Maggie murmured while busying her hands with playing at the hem of her shirt, paying attention to not look at her, "waiting for you."_

"_Waiting for me?"_

_This all made no sense._

"_Yes," Lena spoke, rubbing her thumb over the back of her hand. "To decide for one of us."_

_Her brows furrowed. "To decide?"_

_What was there to decide? She loved them both. Maggie was her best friend and Lena offered her everything she wanted._

"_You never could commit your feelings, Bianca," Lena told her. "You never could decide who to let go."_

"_So we just waited," Maggie shrugged. "I could not leave you."_

"_Neither of us could," Lena made sure to point out._

_She stared at them for a moment._

"_But I decided..." She glanced at Maggie, paraphrasing for her sake, "I mean, we," she looked at Lena. "We were going to be together, steady...e-eventually. Probably."_

_Lena dropped her hand. "You love her," she shrugged, rubbing her palms over her jeans. "I know that."_

_She glanced at Maggie, gazing at her averted eyes. _"_What do you want?" she asked desperately wishing she would just look at her._

"_You fear me and Lena can give you more," Maggie stated sadly._

_No... No! She wanted to stomp her feet. What was that for an answer?_

"_You can't make up your mind, can you?" Maggie asked suddenly looking up at her with tear glistening eyes. "It hurts. Please decide."_

_Her eyes began to burn as tears formed from looking at that pleading gaze of a caught woman._

_This...this was plaguing her, too. Those feelings for them. It was tearing at her._

"_Bianca, let her go, please." Lena pushed herself up on her knees, trying to get her attention. "I can give you what you want."_

"_She can't trust you," Maggie bit, grasping her hand. "But she can come to me anytime."_

"_You would not recognize love if it was painted on a billboard," Lena spat back. "You are hurting her by your ambiguous actions."_

_Maggie gaped at Lena when the polish woman underlined her statement by giving her a shove._

"_You expect too much and she always has to mind what to say when speaking about him because you put on all the guilt. It's stressing her out," Maggie stated and pushed Lena back._

"_You broke her heart!" Lena exclaimed._

"_You may never even be able to!" Maggie yelled back._

_They stood up glaring at each other._

"_You hurt her," Maggie growled._

"_You may never stop," Lena snarled._

_A second ticked by before they jumped at each other, fighting for the upper hand. A collective of, "You hurt her. YOU hurt her. YOU _hurt_ her!" flying left and right._

_She clasped her hands in front of her eyes, trying to block them out._

_They had to stop this. They would never hurt her._

_She heard things breaking, groans and puffs of air, hits connecting with skin._

_She felt like spiraling. It got dark. She lifted up, hearing the voices become further away._

_She felt dizzy and queasy._

"_Bianca!"_

_When her name was called she opened her eyes again, seeing Maggie and Lena under her in the collapsing house._

_She had to save them, get them out of there._

_She leaned forward, reaching for them._

"_Take me," they both said._

_She had to choose someone, she could not take both._

_But she could not choose!_

_She closed her eyes._

In her sleep, Bianca reached her hand out, her face twitching in distress.

_With her outstretched hand she closed around the arm she first found and pulled._

Her fingers curled around an arm, her features relaxing in relieve to have found someone.

_She hold on to whoever it was, hoping them to be the right choice._

Bianca pressed herself close to the person with her, the feel of warm skin against hers feeling reassuring.


	5. Babe

*BABE*

**Innocent Reflection**

Babe slumbered contently. In her dreams ponies hopped over a green countryside, dandelions littering the green with their smiling flowering. She had everything she wanted and needed. Life couldn't be better than in her dreams. They were worry-free.

Until her mind became somewhat aware of a hand sneaking over the covers and encircling her arm.

First a brush and then long gentle fingers surrounded her biceps, tightening, holding on. There was a pull, her body moving slightly until soft lush flesh pushed into her shoulder.

Her brows furrowed in her doze, this couldn't be JR. It felt kinda nice, though. She turned her head, following that feeling. Her nose, unbeknownst to her, landed in the crook of a neck, finding a pool of sweetness that smelled like a basket full of mellowed apricots mixed with a wooden scent, resin, fir cones - a deep forest.

She knew that smell from somewhere.

_She rolled around in the grass of her dandelion field. Just slowly, she noticed the tickling grass vanishing from her skin, being replaced by smooth caressing silk. She stretched herself, opening her eyes leisurely as the mild grassy smell changed into the one of fresh sheets and something warmer, thicker – an other person, their heat and scent radiating around her. _

_She gazed at the ceiling as a breath glided over her neck, down to her collarbone._

_She was slightly startled about being in bed with someone. But the enticing feathery touch kept her unmoving. The only thing she knew, it was not JR. He would never be that gentle. Anxiously she waited for what would happen next, undecided if she should stop it._

_The mouth on her sunk lower. It nipped along her skin before rich lips enclosed her aroused peaks, suckling heavenly._

_She hissed surprised, pulling a deep breath in, while arching her chest into her lover._

_It caused a jolt to flash through her, ending in a pool of wakened interest between her thighs._

_She peeked down to find her bed partner had vanished under the sheets. She could only make out the contours of a head and a long figure under the beige silk._

_Jamie? _

_Jamie was gentle._

_Her brows furrowed and she blinked her eyes open again, pulling her mind away from the fingers that played over her stomach, tickling her senses. She surveyed the nice sheets, then the warm, but impersonal room. _

_She was in a hotel room._

_But, this was much too nice to be the Pine Cone and those touches...much too knowing and deliberate to be the one's of a first time lover. She let herself fall into it though, enjoying the warmth it caused in her body, the tingling that slowly sailed through her belly._

_Whoever it was, what they were doing was nice and they shouldn't stop it._

_The mouth that had paced and explored her upper body thoroughly finally reached the waistband of her delicate thong. Teeth grazed her skin, making her squirm, before they caught the material and gave it a playful tug._

_She moaned as the string bit into her flesh. Her fingers fought to get under the sheets, wanting to touch that wonderful man._

_With a crash the door flew open, making her jump, while in the same moment her fingers weaved into long smooth hair, letting her halt._

"_I knew you hid something. My father was right all along. You bitch," Jr growled, standing in the door eying the situation with a disgusted expression._

_But her mind was some place else, she stared down beneath the covers, sheepish looking chocolate eyes twinkling back at her._

_Bianca?_

"_Are you listening?" JR asked, stepping further into the room. "Do you even care?"_

"_Yes," she cried, tearing her eyes away from the brunette. She covered her up, hiding her, pushing her to all the other skeletons deeply buried in her bed. Not knowing what else to do she said, "It's not what it looks like."_

"_And for you I abandoned my brother," Jr said disappointed before spatting, "Trailer trash. At least show me what it is."_

_He moved to the bed, dragging at the covers. Her heart pounded in painful panic in her throat, while she clung to the covers, holding them back to prevent him from revealing all her secrets._

_He gave not up, though, pulling with all his might. She could not hold on any longer. Any second he would..._

_The sheets were ripped from her hands._

Babe jerked awake, sweat covering her body, making her nightgown cling to her skin.

She felt a kiss being pressed to her crown, a soothing drowsy voice mumbling hushed, "'s okay, I got you."

Babe turned her head confused to the person at her side. Her eyes widened as she recognized Bianca's sleeping face. Panic striking, she quickly pushed away, on the way out of bed entangling herself with the covers before tumbling to the ground.

She groaned, rubbing her butt. Then she fell silent, anxiously waiting if she woke someone up. Cautiously she turned around, her eyes stealing a glance of the form on the couch, glad to find closed eyelids.

When there was no noise from anyone else either she awkwardly pushed herself up to her feet.

What a dream.

As she stood she caught her reflection in one of the windows.

Babe stared at herself, looking back at her reproachful looking mirror image.

No. She was not a bad person. She loved JR. So, she didn't tell him about her drunken marriage to Paul Cramer and she didn't directly tell him about rolling around with his little brother and taking his virginity the night they came to town. How could she have known Jamie was his brother? And, well, at last she kept secret of her child's paternity. But she was no bad person. Not completely innocent, either, but her love was pure and true. That had to make it even.

She nodded small at herself in the window before she let herself down next to JR, pulling her covers from the couch.

As she positioned the blankets next to him, her heart beat faster by the thought of JR not only finding out about that mass of concealment, but also of her having dreams about Bianca.

He would snap!

Hopefully, he may never seriously believe that she was into Bianca, because at least that one was not true. She could say with one hundred percent certainty that she was straight and not interested. Bianca was a sweet pie and, okay, so she would kiss her for experience, but that was it.

How could she even have such a dream? She would never hop into bed with Bianca.

She curled up to JR as close as she could with her belly, placing her hand over his heart and stroking his chest slowly.

She loved him. He had to raise this child with her. Alone she would never make it.

She had no choice but to keep her secrets locked up.


	6. Lena

*LENA*

**Past Imperfect**

A poke to her back woke Lena up, she blinked her eyes open and turned around to find Maggie, the small woman having rolled away from Jamie to her in her sleep. The dark blonde was spotting a crooked smile, while pointing at her with her index finger, her thumb spread to the side in a gun-like fashion.

Lena shook her head and cautiously took Maggie's outstretched arm, which invaded her space, putting it back over the other woman's midsection, careful not to wake her up. A content sigh streamed out of the small body, as if being pleased to have completed a task, and then she shifted, sinking deeper into her sleep again.

Lena furrowed her brows. Maggie was a mystery. Even to herself sometimes, she believed.

A yawn broke from the polish woman's mouth and she rubbed her eyes. Settling back into her makeshift bed, she rolled onto her back, her neck and shoulders hurting from the hard tiled floor. A sleep over. She couldn't remember when her last one had been. She was getting to old for that stuff.

But it was fun and it made Bianca happy. That was all she wanted.

A yawn tore at her again, calling her back to sleep.

_She climbed white stairs. A row of great columns supported the roof of the building that she walked up to. Excitement ran through her body. She was invited into her temple, and if she would be pleased with her and seen as fit, she would obtain allowance to reside at her court._

_This was her dream – to be welcomed into Bianca Montgomery's home._

_Everyone looked up to her. She was the light brightening the earth. The one thing good and pure in this world. Being acknowledged and surrounded by her love made you thrive, it made you shed your evil ways and leave behind the predetermined path that you used to walk willingly, not knowing what else there was and not noticing the red marked stones of doom under your feet, pulling you further and further into the abyss._

_But those times were behind her. Now the only thing she longed for was acceptance - redemption._

_As she arrived inside she caught a glance of Erica with her golden armor, throwing her a dark measuring glance. She was her operator of defense, known as being cold and cruel when it came to people being a threat to her daughter. _

_But she had no time to take her further in because Kendall stepped to her, looping her arm around hers and pulling her down a hallway._

"_She waits for you," the curly haired goddess of beauty, known for her jealous streaks, but also as great supporter of her sister, smiled amused. _

_They arrived in front of white double doors, graced with green leave ornaments. Kendall knocked for her and wished her 'good luck', sarcasm playing in her words, before she left her alone and strode away._

_She was suddenly nervous, not sure what to expect. She had to pass this. She wouldn't know what else to do if this didn't work out._

_The door opened and she stepped inside, spotting Bianca laying on a chaise longue chair, smiling at her while popping some grapes into her mouth._

"_Come in."_

_She did as she was told, looking around the spacious bed chamber hold in red and gold tones. There were no windows nor closed walls. The room was open. You could see the clouds surrounding the temple beautifully, it made you want to step on them and take a walk._

"_Why are you here today, Lena?" Bianca asked, watching her interested._

"_Bianca, you know I love you," she spoke passionately. This was her chance. "I'm here to ask to spend the rest of my life with you, as a lover, confident and partner. I want to make you happy, if you let me."_

_The brunette goddess nodded and stood up._

"_We had it rough, Lena. We said to take it slow and we did." She recapitulated, clasping her hands behind her back while she paced. "You have to know, I'm feeling comfortable with you again. I want you to come and be with me."_

_A warm fuzzy feeling spread trough her belly._

"_But the question is," Bianca turned to her, "can I trust you?"_

"_Yes." Of course she could. She was devoted to her._

"_I want us to be honest with each other or this will not work."_

"_I understand."_

"_Good." Bianca smiled and stepped close, speaking softly, "I know you did a lot you regret. Is there still something I don't know?"_

_She looked into questioning brown doe eyes, glinting with apprehension. _

_There really was just one answer to give._

"_No."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes."_

_Bianca nodded and gave her a comforting smile._

"_I will see you tonight when I announce my decision," the brunette goddess spoke, guiding her back to the door._

_Arriving at the exit, Bianca caressed her cheek and pushed some short strands behind her ear, taking her obedient features in before she leaned in and graced her lips with her own in a gentle touch._

"_Bye," Bianca breathed._

_The door slowly closed behind her._

_Giddiness streamed through her. A kiss? This had to be a good sign. _

_As she turned around she flinched in surprise, finding Maggie, Bianca's consultant and long time friend, hovering in the hallway, obviously waiting for her to step out._

_The small blonde human looked down on her from her superior position, surveying her silently with narrowed eyes before walking passed her, naturally entering the private chambers without knocking._

_Day turned into night and she found herself in a big hall, in its middle a podium where Bianca sat in a throne, Maggie standing a step back to her side._

_She stood before them, while the rest of the people that resided at the temple and had interest in the matter were seated around them, watching curiously._

"_Lena, you asked to stay with me here for the rest of your life," Bianca spoke with a constricted voice._

_Maggie stepped forward, noticing Bianca's distress like she did, too. Just that she had no chance to go up and do something about it, meanwhile wondering what the cause of it was. _

_Maggie's hand rubbed Bianca's shoulder and the brunette's eyes closed calmly._

"_What did you think taking your life?" Bianca asked agitated, looking disappointed down on her. "Did you think it would make me happy, make me feel better?"_

_She pulled a shocked breath in. How could she know that..._

_She looked at Maggie's hand holding Bianca's shoulder, her influence seeping into her._

_Of course, Maggie told her._

_She shook it away, concentrating on what mattered now._

"_No, I just could not stand the pressure of knowing I was the cause of your pain."_

"_You said there was nothing you kept from me anymore." Bianca shook her head sadly, before exclaiming, "You should have told me. I would have understood."_

"_I didn't want to worry you." She defended herself, pained by the sadness that glistened in brown eyes. "I didn't want you to think less of me."_

"_I have a right to know," Bianca reasoned, standing up. "I wanted to know you, every part. You have seen me at my worst, haven't you?"_

"_Please, forgive me."_

"_No, I gave you chance after chance. You did not use them. I ban you from my realm."_

_She looked stunned at the outstretched hand that pointed to the exit._

"_What? No! Please, Bianca?"_

_Bianca averted her eyes, leaning to the blonde._

"_Maggie, would you?"_

_She watched Maggie take the two stairs down to her._

"_You're the goddess of forgiveness," she breathed disbelieving, what else she had forgiven her, but not this?_

"_No, that's what everyone assumes." Bianca spat, turning sharply around. "I'm the goddess of justice. You have done me wrong in the past, I waited to speak your verdict. Now here's your penalty."_

_Maggie stepped to her and grabbed her at her arm, pulling her outside and down the endless stairs, at last she pushed her out of the portal. _

_No, this could not be happening._

_The big golden gates slowly drew closed, locking her out from heaven._

_Through the gate's bars she looked at Maggie, a pleased smile running over the blonde's lips._

_She had won, like she had always said._

_#Thud#_

Lena bolted up from her sleep, remembering big golden doors falling closed.

She looked around, but that had sounded way too real.

Then she spotted Babe, crawling to JR's side, the blonde curling herself around him.

She smiled about them. God, she wanted that, too. She glanced up to the couch, seeing a lump laying unmoving under the covers.

She knew she had to be patient. She knew she herself was not ready.

Her past still haunted her. For her everything that had happened was still very much in the present. She was getting help for it, but lately she had dreamed more and more often about her suicide attempt, imagining what it would have meant to Bianca. How wrong it would have been.

She wanted to get it out by talking about it to Bianca and with that stop it from mattering. She wanted to put it in the past where it belonged. Tell Bianca that it had made her stronger. That Kendall made her see that only by being there for her she could help her.

Bianca was doing better day by day. Didn't that mean she could? Or...would telling her be selfish? Would it pull the rug right out from under her feet?

She was the problem. Not Bianca. She still had problems with what she did. But she would make it right. Maggie would not crowd their space as much as before. So now was her chance to show Bianca how good she was, could be for her. She could become the one she counted on. She wanted to be.

She wanted to tell her all that.

Lena stood up and walked over to the couch, taking the place Babe had occupied before. She lay herself next to Bianca, minding her space, while watching her sleep.

She just wanted to do what was best for her. She had made enough mistakes in her life.

She looked over to Maggie slumbering a few feet away. One thing she knew, though, she would not give Maggie any chance to sell her out. Because there just would be no reason, no new wrongdoing for her to tell. She would become worthy of Bianca.


	7. JR

*JR*

**Sweet Dreams**

JR blinked, opening his eyes after becoming aware of the movement that took place in the room. He felt his wife's arm being slung around his chest, holding on somewhat desperately. He heard quiet steps and then springs squeaking under some weight. Was this some other weird game? Swapping sleeping places?

This had been a stupid kiddie party. But what else did he expect from Bianca the innocent and Jamie the manboy, blinded by his naive romantic beliefs. Of course Babe, always easy to excite, had been eager to join the ride of stupidity, and Lena had been lost to Bianca for a long time now. Only Maggie had seemed unamazed from time to time, making him feel sympathy towards her.

God knows how Jamie had managed to sack her. But maybe now Jamie would stay away from his wife.

Babe's grasp on him tightened making him feel constrained. Couldn't she have stayed on the couch with Bianca? He was just here to entertain her thought that they would try to mend things. But he would not invest anything into this until the results of the paternity test were back from that lab. Everything depended on that and then as soon as the baby was born things had to be set in motion.

He just wasn't sure what they were yet.

He sighed and tried to relax in the arms that held him. After a long moment of struggle he finally let go and fell asleep.

"_Hmm..." He floated somehow, surrounded by warmth, calming rosy red walls enclosing him._

_He would love to stay here forever._

"_I love you," a soft-spoken voice swayed around him._

"_Mom?"_

"_JR, I have to go."_

_No, what did she mean she had to..._

_He fell into blackness, the warmth slipping away._

_He crashed to the ground, coldness shaking his body._

_Faceless people walked the streets, touching him when they passed him, pulling at him when he didn't respond._

"_No, go away," He bellowed, trying to push a way through them when a cluster formed around him. _

_They all wanted something, but he had nothing to give. The streets they walked were not his. The grey skyscrapers that surrounded them were not his. He had nothing._

_It was all owned by the great Adam Chandler._

_He shoved his way through the mass and began to run away from the people, to something that called for him, cried for him._

_He saw a crib standing in the middle of an empty street and walked stunned to it, not believing his eyes._

_As he reached the crib and picked the little crying baby up a content calmness settled in him._

"_This is your baby," Babe appeared suddenly behind him._

"_No, she's a whore you know that can never be yours. She just wants our money," his father spoke, walking out from a small alleyway, having watched him the whole time._

"_Babe," his brother ran to her and then looked at him, "JR, this could be my baby."_

_Jamie. This hurt._

_More men came from everywhere claiming it to be theirs._

_No._

_They would take it away from him. The first thing that really was his. The first thing he purely loved after his mother passing away. They were trying to take it away from him._

_Everyone became quiet as Babe pulled a test from her purse and stepped up to him._

"_I love you JR, I know this is your baby. I'm sure this is your baby."_

_He took the test. It said it was his._

_He was the father._

_A pleased smile stretched over his lips._

_He was the father of this child._

_Babe glanced at the test, seeing the result she wrapped her arms around him in a happy squeal._

_He stood there unmoving, Babe hanging around his neck._

_She must have had doubts. _

_What else would she do to him? Would she leave him once the baby was there? Was his father right? He had been right the first time. She could leave him and take the baby away._

_No. It would be his and his alone. No one would take this away from him._

_Now he just had to come up with a way to get rid of Babe._

_Ironically Babe's voice echoed through his head then, "You never know – "_

_A flash of himself putting a pill into her glass flickered up in front of his eyes._

" – _who's gonna poison you." he finished the sentence, filling the glass with water._

A devilish grin overcame his face and while he still dozed he freed himself from the arm that clung to him.


	8. Outro

*OUTRO*

**Dawn**

Maggie woke up laying alone, she looked around finding Babe sandwiched between JR and Jamie and Lena gone from her other side, instead laying with Bianca. Everyone had someone, but her. Downcast, she stood up. That's how it always had been. But she didn't want it to stay this way. She realized she had to do something to prevent it from happening.

She heard someone coughing and looked back at the others, Babe was pushing herself up, holding her throat in her hand, gasping for air. "JR!"

JR jerked awake, looking up at her confused, "What?"

"You choked me!" Babe said, rubbing her throat.

"What?" He asked perplexed, but not concerned. Then he spotted Jamie laying just a few feet away, looking worried at his wife. He glared at his form and stood up, not minding Babe further. "I think we should go."

"I, uh...I have breakfast," Bianca offered awkwardly, the two women on the couch having woken up and watched the exchange.

Maggie turned to her, seeing Bianca look in wonder at Lena as if she had expected someone else to lean behind her.

"Morning," Lena smiled, "I took Babe's place, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, no, no." Bianca shook her head, "It's fine." She looked at her a moment longer and then leaned over, placing a brief kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Maggie shuddered and thought it to be a good idea to excitedly shout out, "So, breakfast!"

They ended up sharing a quiet breakfast, everyone seeming to be lost in their own thoughts.

As Babe asked if they should help Bianca clean up, Maggie quickly made sure to back up Bianca's argument about that not being necessary since Reggie was coming by later, meanwhile declaring that she also could help with the cleaning and in the same breath declining Lena from doing so, too, since she had helped Bianca yesterday already.

Somehow it worked out and they saw everyone out, Jamie whispering a riddle into her ear before leaving, "Maybe you should talk to her."

Maggie grabbed a trash bag from the counter and began dumping plastic cups, pizza cartons and other trash inside, while Bianca watched her overeager work.

"Hey, are you alright?" Bianca asked uncertainly, walking up to her side. "You seemed a little...distracted yesterday and then there were moments you were overly cheery again."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Maggie said distractedly,

Bianca screwed up her mouth, but turned away, her fingers reaching for a cloth on the counter, "Okay."

Maggie sighed deeply and let the trash bag fall, "No, it's not."

Bianca's eyes jumped to her in interest, her eyebrows raising.

Maggie turned to her, looking down on the floor, "You know I love you, right?"

Bianca halted, "Y-yes," where was this going?

"I wanted you to know that before you...go." She glanced up, casualty suddenly slipping into her tone. "I mean, who knows when we're gonna see each other and I'm sure you want to spend some time alone with Lena."

"This is no goodbye Maggie," Bianca said, putting in a laugh to reassure herself that it wasn't. "And Lena isn't going to move in, if that's what you think."

"I know, I know. I just...it is an ending of us. As roommates, and...that sucks."

Bianca nodded and quickly let out what she hadn't had a chance to say before, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before. I just..." she sighed, swallowing the 'couldn't'. "You know this move has nothing to do with you, right?"

"Yeah, don't you think you'll get rid of me." Maggie joked, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I would never want that," Bianca said softly, grasping her wrist, squeezing reassuringly.

Maggie looked down at the touch, murmuring, "Good, because I promise I'll never let that happen." She looked up, peering hopeful into Bianca's eyes. "And who knows? Maybe this is a chance, too, you know? For us to...find something new...to our friendship?"

At Bianca's puzzled look, she quickly went on in a light playful voice, "I mean, I can't take you being there, baking me your grandma's cookies for having to study on a Sunday, for granted anymore, which means we might actually have to date again." She smiled until she realized what she had said and corrected awkwardly, "I mean, set dates. To meet."

"Yeah, I'll miss you stuffing me with food and lectures about my health, too." Bianca grinned, ignoring the slip up masterfully before tilting her head and eying Maggie attentively. "But you know you're welcome here any time, right? And don't forget the playdates with Miranda and I."

"I won't." Maggie smiled promising, glancing lovingly down to Bianca's belly.

"So, we're good?" Bianca asked cautiously.

"Of course," Maggie nodded.

Bianca smiled happy and stepped forward, swallowing Maggie up in her arms, the blonde leaning into her, quietly pulling Bianca's sweet apricot scent into her nose and body.

**The End**

**_Thanks to everyone who read the story. I hope you enjoyed it. :)_  
**


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